Christmas Candy
by Gemkat5
Summary: Goblins are like children. They love fun, games, pranks, and… Santa. The Goblin King, however, is not Santa. He does not pretend to be Santa, and there isn’t anyone or anything powerful enough to get him involved in this Holiday... or is there? J/S


**Disclaimer**: The only thing I claim to own is the insane idea that formed this story. Everything else is borrowed.

**Summary:** Goblins are like little children. They love fun, games, pranks, and… Santa, just like everybody else. The Goblin King, however, is not Santa. He does not pretend to be Santa, and there isn't anyone or thing powerful enough to get him involved in this Holiday… or is there?

**Christmas Candy**

Sarah stirred in her bed, snuggled deep with her comforters over her head. When suddenly a ruckus from downstairs she did hear, and groaned to put on her robe and a sneer.

'_Toby_,' she thought with disgruntlement as she opened her bedroom door. '_No, wait a minute_,' she thought with a pause. '_He's not in the house. He's at Karen's sister's. So… what's downstairs that's being so loud?_' She armed herself with a baton, from her cheerleading days, and stalked down the hallway to investigate the noise.

Reaching the bottom step, she leaned past the doorway to peer into the den, her eyes became wide with astonished awe as she witnessed goblins climbing up the wall.

"What are you doing?" she demanded to know, in a voice above a whisper but not loud enough to wake up the others at home.

"We hang stockings," one goblin answered with cheer. None of them surprised to find Sarah standing there.

She didn't know what to say, her eyes still wide with shock, while a goblin climbed the Christmas tree just to hang up a sock. "You can't be here," she whispered in an urgent tone. "Go back home where you belong!"

"But, Santa don't come to our house no more," one stated with sad eyes, looking forlorn.

"The Goblin King won't let us hang our stockings with care, so we come here, just like last year."

"You were in my house last year, at this time?" she asked them simply to make things rhyme.

"Yes, we come here last year, and the one before that, too."

"You never knew it, so go back to your room!"

"Hurry! Hurry! Go away… shoo!" a goblin cried out frantically, sticking his sock to the wall with glue.

"I'm sorry," she stated, shaking her head. "I can't let you stay. Take down all your socks, and go away."

The goblins looked up at her with tears in their eyes. "You're mean, just like our king," they whimpered, waving goodbye.

XxXxX

Sarah bolted upright, gasping for breath. Without hesitation, she threw off her covers, and leaped out of bed. She raced down the stairs to enter the den, and stared at all the stockings that were hung all around. '_Oh my god_,' she thought, placing a hand to her forehead. '_It wasn't a dream_.'

She ran back to her room, and flicked on the light. She closed her bedroom door, then sat at her vanity. "Goblin King!" she whispered in an urgent tone into the mirror, never before trying to call upon the king himself. "Jareth, Goblin King…" she called once more, hesitating with the final words that always made her friends appear. "… I need you."

With the flickering of the lamp, and a slight disturbance of air, she suddenly found herself staring at the Goblin King, as he stood behind her chair.

"If this has anything to do with your holiday, count me out. I don't do magic for a fat little elf."

"Well, Merry Christmas to you, too," she greeted, rising from her chair to face him directly. "But, your goblins apparently believe in Santa, and they hung socks all over the place in the den downstairs.

"Yes," he breathed with impatience. "They've been doing that since you've been through my labyrinth. What would you like me to do about it?"

"Well, you have to…" She couldn't think fast enough. What '_did_' she want him to do about it? "You have to put something in their socks!" she answered after hesitating.

"Do I?" he asked curiously. "And, who do you think filled them last year? And, the year before that, and… the year before that?" he asked cynically, pacing slightly in the small confines of her room. "You don't think it was '_me_', do you?"

"It had to be you," she answered without thinking. "Who else would…" She paused as her mind caught up with her mouth. "Whoa," she voiced with sudden realization, lifting her gaze to lock with his. "It was Santa Clause," she half asked, half remarked.

"Oh, come now," Jareth replied with more cynicism. "You couldn't have possibly '_not_' believed that all this time. Not you, Sarah Williams, the girl who wished away her brother, battled against goblins in the make believe world of the labyrinth, and stole everything you could from the all powerful king."

"You don't have to be bitter about it," she stated snidely, crossing her arms in front of her, shifting her weight onto one foot indignantly.

"Bitter?" he questioned rhetorically, looking at her pointedly. "Who's bitter? I'm not bitter."

"Right," she voiced skeptically, relaxing her stance to lean casually on her vanity. "So, what are we going to do about '_your_' goblins, and all the socks they hung up in the den?"

"'_You_' can do whatever you want with those nasty stockings," he replied with a disgusted grimace. "And, I'll handle my goblins as I always do."

"You're not even going to put something in them, are you?" she asked with incredulous indignance, standing firmly on both feet with her hands on her hips. "You can't possibly be that cruel?"

"Cruel?" he shot back at her. "You speak to me about being cruel?" He then lifted his chin evenly to look down his nose at her. "It's your fault my goblins didn't get their treats in the first place."

"'_My_' fault? How is it my fault? I was asleep until they made too much noise!"

"No, you were asleep until they insulted you in your dream," he corrected knowingly. "But, instead of ignoring things, and going back to sleep, you had to go investigate the matter, and disrupt everything." He shifted his head slightly to one side, holding her gaze intently. "And then deemed it necessary to summon '_me_', which is a first since that wishful night."

"Well, the last time I called you, things didn't end very well between us, now did they?"

"No, they most certainly did not," he agreed haughtily, folding his arms.

They stood in silence simply staring at each other, neither willing to compromise their position.

"Oh, this is ridiculous," Sarah finally stated, pulling the chair out further to sit down, crossed her legs, then folded her arms. "We still need to do something about your goblins," she stated assertively. Jareth rolled his eyes with exasperation. "What?" she asked impatiently. "You said this is my fault. So, okay, it's my fault. Then, I'm asking you to help and fill their socks with treats."

"But… why?" he stressed with incomprehension.

"Because, it's Christmas!" she yelled in a stage whisper with sudden impatience, rising to her feet. "Because those goblins used to be children, and now Santa won't come because we're too busy arguing about who's going to do what with whose magic!"

"That's not why he won't come, and you know it," Jareth responded evenly, then his expression became thoughtful. "And you '_do_' know it." He stepped closer to her with purpose, making her take a wary step to the side as he slowly circled her shoulder. "You want me to fix the mistake '_you_' made before my goblins even came here tonight."

"No," she denied, not following his movements, but stared straight forward. "I just want you to…"

"You forgot, didn't you?" Jareth accused lightly with a knowing smirk. "You forgot to believe, and that's why he won't come this night, as he's done before." He stood directly in front of her, blocking her vision of everything else. "And yet," he added with sudden recollection. "You still believe in me." He knew he was right by the guilt in her eyes as she looked up at him.

"You made me run for my life," she defended with bravado. "How could I ever forget that?"

"How could you, indeed," he smirked knowingly. "Alright!" he exclaimed suddenly, stepping back from her dramatically. "I'll grant you this wish… on one condition."

"Knew there would be a catch," she muttered under her breath before meeting his gaze once more. "What do you want?"

"A kiss."

"A what?"

"A kiss."

Sarah blinked repeatedly after wiping the shocked expression from her face. She couldn't have possibly heard him right, but… he repeated it, so she must have. "What kind of kiss?" she asked warily, sizing him up as opponents do.

"The kind of kiss," he answered as he slowly stepped forward. "That a man gives a woman," he continued, drawing very close to stand before her. "when he is interested in what he sees."

"Oh," she whispered softly, thinking her room suddenly too small, and definitely too warm. "That kind of kiss."

"Yes, that kind of kiss."

'_Are you fucking nuts!_' the sarcastic voice in her mind screamed.

'_You know you want to!_' The more agreeable side of her mind countered.

'_He can't be trusted! He's lying'_

'_What if he's not lying?' _

'_There's a myth about the fae and touching them!'_

'_What if he's not fae?'_

'_What if he takes more than just a kiss?'_

'_What if…_'

"It's almost sunrise, you realize," Jareth pointed out, watching her intently as multiple expressions flitted across her face as she thought about his offer. He thought for sure she would have just given in, for the sake of the goblins, if nothing else. But, now he realized how he, yet again, placed himself in a delicate situation where she had power over him once more.

'_Just say yes! You'll never get this chance again! Kiss the Goblin King!'_

'_No, big mistake! Don't do it!_'

"And, my goblins will never get treats again in their socks on this night," Jareth taunted as his final attempt at persuading her. "And, they won't know why…"

"Okay!" Sarah conceded decisively. "I'll give you a kiss. But, just one!" she stressed, holding up her index finger to his face. "And, just this once!"

"That's all I ask," he answered with a charming smile, moving in closer to claim his prize.

'_Big mistake!_' her cynical mind screamed.

'_Oh, yes, I remember that scent from when we danced_,' her agreeable mind countered.

Sarah's eyes focused on his lips as he drew near, her lips parted slightly in anticipation as he dipped his head to one side. Her breath caught in her throat as his lips got closer, and closer. Her eyes slid closed, she felt his lips make the slightest contact with hers, the softest, feathery touch on her skin…

XxXxX

"Robert!" Karen's exasperated voice filtered through the air into Sarah's room. "Robert, come look at this!"

Sarah's eyes snapped opened, seemingly of their own accord, to stare with sharp vision at the ceiling. '_It's daylight_,' she thought, suddenly filled with dread and anxiety. '_Oh no! He lied! The goblin's socks…!_' She sprung out of her bed just as her father called her in a loud authoritive voice.

"Sar-rah!"

"I'm coming!" she shouted back, grabbing her robe as she flung open the bedroom door. '_Son of a bitch. I knew I shouldn't have trusted him!_' she thought, trying to find a sleeve as she rushed down the hallway. '_He didn't even finish the damn kiss!_' she continued, finding the other sleeve as she half stumbled down the stairs. She stopped at the doorway of the den just in time to tie the belt around her waist, her father blocked her view of the interior with his broad back. "Dad?"

Robert turned around, not giving her a chance to see much of anything before he faced her fully. "Sarah, can you explain what happened in here last night?"

"Uhm…" she stalled. '_Say no! …Lie! …Act stupid! ...Ask why!_' Both parts of her mind screamed in accordance.

"Why?" Sarah asked sweetly with innocent eyes. "What's the matter?"

"What's the matter?" Karen repeated the question from behind Robert, stepping forward to take his place as he moved out of his wife's way. "Look at this room, Sarah!" she exclaimed with exasperation, finally turning to allow Sarah to see inside the den for the first time. "This is amazing!" she continued to exclaim.

Sarah stepped into the room as though she were in a trance, her eyes slowly scanned all around until she had turned full circle. The room looked like the interior of Candy Land with sugar candy crystals hanging from the ceiling, gummy bear candies the size of your hand sat on the mantel, and big gum drops hung from the tree with licorice as string. There were gingerbread trucks with caramel candy wheels, rainbow colored taffies in candy flower pots along the wall. The floor in one corner was covered with chocolate snowcaps, with marshmallow snowmen wearing jelly top hats.

"How the hell did you do all of this in one night?" Karen asked. "If I'd known you wanted to decorate like this, all you had to do was tell me. I would have been delighted to help you."

"I…" Sarah was speechless, had no idea what to say. Was this from Santa, or someone who lived further away?

"Where on earth did you find these?" Karen asked, reaching above her head for a sugar crystal. "I haven't seen these since I was a little girl!"

"I… uhm…," Sarah stammered with a shrug. "They must be from Santa," she answered with a sudden smile. The expressions on their faces, both Karen and her dad, were ones she'd never seen before. They were truly happy with shinning eyes of glee, as they each took a lick of the sugar candy.

"Mmm," Karen voiced, handing one to Sarah. "Try this, these are simply heavenly."

Sarah licked the swirled clear tip for a taste, then dipped a quarter of the candy fully in her mouth. "Mmm, bubble gum," she remarked with a pleased smile.

"Bubble gum?" Karen questioned, looking at Sarah with confusion. "No, it's blueberry."

"Pineapple," Robert countered with a nod and smile. "Definitely pineapple."

"How are they all different flavors?" Karen asked in a quizzical manner, staring at the candy in her hand.

"It's magic," Sarah replied, then giggled as she got a taste of root beer from the candy in her mouth. "I'm going to go to my room," she announced, turning towards the door. "Let me know when Toby gets home, I want to help him eat some of this!"

"If there's anything left by the time he gets home," Robert mumbled under his breath, eyeing the gingerbread truck.

"Dad!"

"What?" he chuckled. "I was just kidding," he reciprocated unconvincingly. "You go to your room, we'll call you when they pull up out front."

With a slight nod Sarah left the den, and made her way to her room. Once there she closed her door firmly, and put the lock in place. She absently sat down at her vanity, enjoying the ever changing taste of the candy crystal, then glanced at her reflection in the mirror, laughing at her bubble gum pink lips.

'_He didn't even finish his kiss_,' she thought suddenly, her gut fluttered at the memory of him coming so close. She put down her candy, and turned to face the mirror fully. "Goblin King," she whispered with uncertainty. Should she call him, or just let it go? '_Call him!'… 'Let it go!_' She sat back in the wooden chair, and picked up the candy once more, thinking about the night before as she leisurely sucked on the bubble flavor.

'_Why didn't he finish his kiss?_' she wondered, becoming more and more curious as she thought about it. '_He was so close_,' she thought with unfocused, staring eyes. She remembered how good he smelled, how his hair brushed against her cheek, the feel of his breath on her skin, the feel of his lips as they…

"Jareth!" she called boldly, tossing the candy onto the vanity where it shattered into dozens of pieces all over the smooth surface. "I need you, right now!"

"You can't possibly be unsatisfied with all the treats that have been left for you," he quipped from within the mirror, showing himself as a ghostly apparition.

"So… it was you," she questioned definitively. "You filled the goblins socks, and left the candy?"

"Did I?" he asked elusively.

"That's what I'm asking," she stated curtly. "Was it you, or… or Santa?"

"Does it matter?"

"Well… yyyy… no, I guess not."

"Then, why question it?"

"Then, it was Santa," she stated with a nod of her head. "Because you didn't even finish your kiss."

"Didn't I?" he questioned, his brows rising curiously.

"No, you didn't," she replied, though wondered why he was being so difficult.

"Well, then I guess you have all the answers you were looking for."

"No, I don't! Why didn't you finish that kiss!" she demanded to know, the question having burned a gaping hole in her curiosity.

"Why are you so upset?" he countered in an amused, calm tone. "You didn't want it anyway. You only agreed to that kiss so I would do your bidding."

'_He's got you there, sweet cheeks_.' Sarah grimaced at the voice in her head, the sarcastic thing that it was. "That's not the point."

"And what, exactly, is your point?" he asked, his eyes gleamed knowingly.

Sarah realized suddenly what he was doing. He was purposely baiting her to make her admit that she '_wanted_' him to kiss her! "Why, you devious…"

"Yes," he drawled with a gleaming smile, his eyes shone mischievously.

"Conniving…"

"Yes…"

"…Tease!"

He was suddenly in the room behind her, bending over her shoulder to whisper in her ear. "Were you expecting… more, perhaps?" he whispered suggestively in a deep timbre.

'_Yes! Don't you dare deny it!'_

'_Deny it! Deny it!_'

She turned her head slightly to the side, her cheek brushing against his with him being so close, and impulse took over all reason. She sprung to her feet with a twist of her body, simultaneously reaching out for him as he reflexively drew back from her. But, he hadn't moved fast enough, and she caught his face between both hands, pulling him in towards her to plant her lips solidly upon his.

'_Yes! Show him what you got!_'

'_What just happened? What the hell is she... oh, oh that's nice, that's very nice_.'

After the briefest moment of surprise, Jareth reciprocated her kiss, his hands cupping her face as she did to him. With practiced ease he moved his lips over hers, waiting for the gasp he knew would be forthcoming. Slipping his tongue past her teeth, he dueled seductively with her tongue.

"Mmm," he moaned deep in his throat, his tongue retreating back to his own mouth. "Bubble gum, I like that flavor."

"Yea, me too," Sarah replied breathlessly, her mind a whirlwind. She slid her hands from his face, down his neck, and rested them on his shoulders to steady herself as she stared up at him with glazed eyes. Her knees felt like jelly, but the thought of sitting down never occurred to her. She leaned into him, tilting her face as she rose slightly on her toes. "I like your taste better," she whispered, sealing her lips with his once more.

He allowed her to explore his mouth with her candy flavored tongue, noticing that she had gained some experience in the art of kissing. He briefly wondered how much experience she'd gained in the past three years, but quickly shook off the thought as a wave of jealousy rose up his spine towards anyone she had been with. He had to remind himself that didn't own her, he had no authority over her in any way, and it wouldn't do any good to disillusion himself that he did, as he'd done once before in regard to Sarah.

She moaned pleasantly as he deepened their kiss, her hands snaked to the back of his head, her fingers twined in his hair as he pulled her body flush against his. She pulled her head back slightly to let air flow to her lungs, holding his head steady so they didn't break the contact completely. She caressed her lips over his, slowly, seductively, and ran the tip of her tongue along the edges of his teeth.

He drew in a harrowing breath, and closed his eyes to consciously keep control of himself. Her actions hinted of hesitancy, telling him that she hadn't gotten too far in her sexual experiences. But, her innocent daring was his undoing. She no longer tasted of bubble gum, but of something more alluring, more enticing. She tasted of sensual promise, her scent of arousal became stronger as she rubbed her body against his. She was willingly feeding him everything he desired from her, and it was all because he had denied her a kiss. The irony made itself known in his clouded mind, as he slid a hand down to her shapely bottom, grinding himself into her to make her moan once more.

'_Easy there, old boy_,' Jareth's voice of reason told him. '_You can't have her just yet_.'

'_Yes, I can_,' he argued back, tasting and grabbing everything Sarah offered. '_She's willing, and I won't let her slip away again_.'

'_She's spurred on by pure instinct_,' reason told him.

'_She wants it. She wants… me!_'

'_She wants what your making her feel. She's still but a girl, barely considered an adult in her world. She's skittish and will frighten easily._'

'_No_,' Jareth thought with resolve. '_She's stronger than that. She'll let me have her as long as I give her what she wants_.'

'_Deny her_,' reason stated simply. '_and make her want you more._'

'_You're out of your fucking mind_,' Jareth retorted mentally.

"_Yes, you are_,' reason countered. '_Now, let her go before you lose her forever._'

Knowing that reason had its point, Jareth eased up on his assault on her mouth, and slid his hands harmlessly to her shoulders. Reluctantly, he broke their kiss, and cringed inwardly with regret at the sight of her kiss swollen lips that were still parted for more. But, reason had been right, as it usual was. Sarah slowly opened her eyes to look up at him curiously, but, Jareth could see the fear of uncertainty lurking in the depths of her darkened gaze.

"If it matters that much to you," Jareth stated, surprised at how strong and even his voice sounded. "It's my magic that fills the room downstairs. But, the candy was left behind by my goblins. They wanted to share their treats with you despite you telling them to go away."

Sarah dumbly stared up at him, her hands rested on his shoulders by his neck, her fingers idly twining in the lengths of his soft hair as he spoke to her. She had no idea what he was saying to her at first, her mind was a complete void of any thought or purposeful function. Then, his words hit her like a brick.

"That's it?" she accused him with mild incredulousness. "You're just going to leave? Now? Like, right now?" She felt his fingers slightly tighten their grip on her shoulders. She caught the flash of… something, that flitted briefly in his eyes before he smiled wanly.

"You've released over a hundred sugar induced goblins into my kingdom, Sarah," he reminded her in a steady, but patient, tone. "And you have no idea the kind of destruction they are capable of just to have a good time." He took a small, steadying breath, unable to believe he was actually going to go through with this. "Yes, I'm leaving, right now." Before he could change his mind, before she could say or do anything in an attempt to change his mind, Jareth quickly stepped back from her, and faded into thin air.

Sarah stared dumbfounded at the empty space Jareth had been standing in seconds before. Her entire body was aflame, her breathing uneven, her knees trembled under her own weight. She staggered over to her bed, and plopped heavily down on the mattress. She raked her fingers through her hair with frustration, not knowing if she should feel mad, hurt, or… grateful that he left like he did.

'_You're lucky he didn't throw you to the floor and ravish you for everything you're worth_,' the sarcastic voice in her mind stated.

'_Oh, but it would've been worth it_,' the other little voice preened.

'_I never felt anything like that before_,' Sarah voiced to her own mind. '_It felt so wonderful, I didn't want him to stop._'

'_That's where the ravishing would come into play, dear_.'

'_I don't think we're ready for ravishing, just yet_,' the usually agreeable voice fretted.

'_No_," Sarah had to agree. '_I don't think I'm ready for the ravishing part just yet_.'

"Sar-rah!" her father's voice suddenly boomed from downstairs. "Toby's home! They just pulled up outside!"

"Okay! I'll be right there!" Sarah shouted back. '_Damn, if nothing else, his timing to leave was impeccable_,' she thought, walking over to look at herself in the mirror.

'_I'm sure he knew that_,' the sarcastic voice remarked.

'_He'll come back, if you call him again_,' the other voice chimed hopefully.

"Yea," she whispered reflectively, gently touching at her slightly swollen lips. Her eyes rose to meet their reflection in the mirror. "Yea," she repeated with more conviction, a coy smile gracing her face. "I'll call him again." Her eyes darkened with determination. "I'm not letting him go that easily. He made me want him, and I plan to get what I want."

XxXxX

Jareth was consumed with pure elation at hearing her declaration, at seeing the determined set of her dark emerald eyes. He jumped to his feet with a loud '_whoop!_' and threw the scrying crystal waywardly across the room. Goblins chased after the thing with disorderly exuberance as it bounced around under their feet.

'_You don't have to thank me, old boy_,' Jareth's voice of reason stated importantly. '_That's what I'm here for._'

Jareth leaned back on his heel indignantly, and looked down his nose at nothing in particular. '_Shut up_,' he thought at his side of reason, then smiled broadly as he bent to scoop up a goblin, and tossed him playfully in the air. His joyful laughter ringing loudly throughout the kingdom.

**A/N**: At this point of the story, it's done. Finished. No more. A one shot. The End. BUT, I've been known to be mistaken about these things in the past, so you might want to mark it with an alert, just in case. But, I don't promise anything!!!


End file.
